Speech

High school (ages 12+)
Human Body

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/speech

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What makes our voice sound different when we talk?The brain sends signals to muscles that control breathing and the larynx. The larynx changes the pitch and loudness of the sound, and the shape of the throat, mouth, and nose filters the sound into words.
2. Why does having a lower larynx help us talk?A lower larynx gives the tongue more space to move, which lets us make a wider range of sounds.

Larynx: The cartilaginous structure in the throat containing the vocal cords, essential for voice production.
Phoneme: The smallest unit of sound in a language that can differentiate meaning between words.
Vocal Tract: The resonant cavity formed by the throat, mouth, and nasal passages, which modifies laryngeal sound.
Aphasia: A language disorder resulting from damage to brain areas responsible for language processing.